


Ianto's Smiles

by remuslives23



Category: Torchwood
Genre: Christmas schmoop, M/M, old fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-29
Updated: 2014-12-29
Packaged: 2018-03-04 03:10:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2907119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/remuslives23/pseuds/remuslives23
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He conceded that it was more than a bit sad that Captain Jack Harkness – intergalactic Lothario – had to resort to such a clichéd scheme to get a snog, but Ianto, despite their crazy hot chemistry, had remained annoyingly immune to Jack's charm so far.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ianto's Smiles

**Author's Note:**

> Written for duck_or_rabbit for her mistletw prompt of Jack/Ianto, any variation on the theme of mistletoe.

Ianto's Smiles

Jack swore as he caught his finger on a sharp edge of the sprig of mistletoe he was pinning over the kitchen door way. He stuck the digit in his mouth, sucking lightly and tasting the coppery tang of blood before the flow slowed. A quick glance down at the injury showed nothing but a rapidly disappearing thin pink line, his skin knitting back together fast. Jack licked the last smear of blood from his fingertip then clambered off the chair he had been standing on, admiring his handiwork. He jumped a little as the proximity alarms went off and the cog door rolled back, the first of his team arriving for the day. Predictably, it was Tosh and Ianto who walked in together first, Tosh chattering while Ianto tilted his head attentively and smiled that soft smile of his.

Jack couldn't help but stare at the other man's mouth. He'd spent a long time 'Ianto-watching' and knew every single one of the other man's smiles. This one - that sweet upturn at the corners of his mouth - made Jack want catch Ianto's lips with his own and kiss him slowly, gently, as if he were as fragile as spun glass.

As Jack watched, Tosh said something then grinned and nudged Ianto in the ribs which made the man smile broadly as a breathy laugh escaped. Jack's own breath caught in his throat. The uninhibited grin transformed Ianto's face, dissolving that stoic mask he usually wore and revealing the twenty-four year old man beneath the amour. That was the smile that made Jack want to shove Ianto up against the wall and snog him – hard and messy – until he couldn't even speak.

Ianto turned his way as he and Tosh mounted the stairs, and Jack saw the moment Ianto noticed him; the wide smile morphing into something shyer, something a little more guarded, but something that held an undertone of the wickedness that Jack longed for Ianto to unleash. That was the smile that went directly to Jack's cock, making him hard enough to cut diamonds. That was the smile that made Jack want to tear those perfectly fitted pants off that firm, tight ass and fuck Ianto into the nearest hard surface. That was the smile that had made Jack come up with this foolishly infantile and desperate plan.

Mistletoe - hung in strategic spots around the Hub, places Jack knew Ianto would be passing at some point during the day. Jack would catch Ianto under one of the clumps of mistletoe, remind the other man of the Christmas tradition that would set a year's bad luck upon him if he should escape unsnogged, then set about kissing Ianto until neither of them could remember their own names.

He conceded that it was more than a bit sad that Captain Jack Harkness – intergalactic Lothario – had to resort to such a clichéd scheme to get a snog, but Ianto, despite their crazy hot chemistry, had remained annoyingly immune to Jack's charm so far.

That would change today.

Jack called out a slightly hoarse greeting; leaning against the door frame in what he hoped was a nonchalant manner. 'Morning! Lovely day!'

Ianto's eyebrow crooked up in a classic _'I know you're up to something and it's only a matter of time before I figure out what'_ gesture and Jack pulled his enthusiasm back a notch.

'I would do just about anything for a coffee right now,' he said with a leer in Ianto's direction. 'And I do mean _anything_.'

Tosh let out an unladylike snort and Ianto rolled his eyes, letting out a sigh that suggested his patience was already being sorely tested.

'Fortunately, sir, you won't have to resort to debasing yourself,' Ianto said, sliding his coat off his shoulders and inclining his head towards Tosh who, Jack now noticed, was carrying a tray of disposable coffee cups. 'Tosh treated today. It's not as good as mine, but until I fix the machine...' His voice trailed off and he glared pointedly at Jack as he hung his coat on the rack.

Jack grimaced guiltily and closed his eyes as he recalled his desperate attempts to make his own coffee before Ianto had come in the day before, hurriedly aborted when the traitorous machine began making horrid grating and clanging noises.

'Right,' he said, frowning as Ianto settled himself on the couch and Tosh carefully placed five steaming cups on the coffee table. How the hell was he going to get Ianto under the mistletoe now? His eyes fell on the white paper bag Ianto was opening and his heart lurched hopefully.

'Don't you need plates for those pastries? The crumbs will go everywhere...'

Both Ianto and Tosh stilled and, after exchanging a puzzled glance, turned to stare at Jack with a mixture of disbelief, confusion and suspicion.

_Damn._

'Jack... if your name really _is_ Jack...' Ianto began cautiously and Jack huffed dramatically, trying to hide the light flush he could feel spreading across his cheeks.

'Why are you mocking me, Ianto Jones?' he wailed, laying the pitiful, 'I'm misunderstood' tone on thick. 'Is it so hard to believe I'm trying to make your life easier by not having to clean up crumbs?'

'Frankly, yes,' Ianto responded bluntly then he pushed himself to his feet. 'I guess I'm rubbing off on you.'

Jack smirked and opened his mouth to make the suggestive comment they all knew was coming, but Tosh got in first. 'No, Jack,' she said sternly, pointing a finger at him before turning to Ianto and pushing him back down onto the couch. 'And you sit down. I'll get the plates.'

Jack bit back his objection to this and quickly decided on an altered plan of action. As Tosh stepped through the doorway, he grabbed her around the waist and swept her into a classic old movie dip as he kissed her – keeping his tongue firmly in his mouth (he didn't have to be taught that lesson twice). He straightened quickly, setting Tosh back on her feet and noting with some satisfaction her glazed eyes.

'Mistletoe,' he said by way of explanation, pointing towards the ceiling. He winked at Tosh who was blinking fast, still slightly stunned, then chanced a glance at Ianto.

He was perturbed to see the other man's face was unreadable and when he said lightly, 'Tosh, how are you going with those plates?' Jack stomped across the room, snatched up the coffee with a 'J' on the lid then hid himself in his office to consider his next move.

'This had better be bloody good,' Owen complained as he walked into the vault, and Jack gritted his teeth to stop himself screaming in frustration.

It should have gone off without a hitch: call Ianto on his comm, tell him there was something odd going on with Janet and 'could you come and tell me if you've seen this behaviour before?'.

So why the hell was Owen standing under the spiky parasitic plant?

'I asked Ianto to come down,' Jack said through clenched teeth and Owen scowled.

'You need to do something about Tea boy,' he muttered. 'He's getting far too bloody full of himself. Threatened to leave the coffee machine broken if I didn't check on Janet for him...' He glanced at the Weevil. '... who looks just fine, by the way.' He looked at Jack uneasily. 'What are you up to, Harkness?'

Jack sighed then, after a glance at Owen's disgruntled expression, shrugged resignedly before grasping Owen's face between his hands and planting a smacking kiss right on his lips. Owen spluttered and shoved at Jack's chest, making a big show of wiping his mouth when Jack pulled back.

'What the fuck...?' he yelped and Jack grinned.

'Mistletoe,' he explained, pointing towards the bunch of green leaves hanging precariously from the top of Janet's cell before he sauntered out of the room.

He wasn't sure if Ianto's avoidance of him today was a coincidence, or a carefully planned counterattack, but Jack loved a challenge, and the thought of Ianto Jones as the ultimate prize made him all the more determined that he was going to win.

Jack smiled to himself as he listened to his team playfully teasing each other then chuckled when Gwen squealed at something Ianto had said. She threw herself at him, peppering quick kisses all over his cheek as a flushing Ianto tossed out a token protest. Tosh laughed and shook her head at them then Owen called out for them to 'shut the hell up and come and help me dissect this Weevil if you've nothing better to do!'.

Gwen released Ianto and skipped off to the autopsy bay – not to help, but to make decidedly unhelpful comments from the safety of the observation level. Jack watched with rising heat as Ianto ran his palms over his jacket then straightened his tie, deft fingers coaxing the strip of silk back into place.

Lord, that man had no clue just how sexy he was.

Jack's ears pricked up when he heard Ianto tell Tosh that he was going to feed Myfanwy. Tosh nodded and turning back to her computer as Jack's stomach flipped in anticipation. He could never remember Ianto's schedule for feeding Myfanwy, but he'd put some mistletoe near the pterodactyl's nest - just in case. He waited impatiently until Ianto had disappeared into the cold rooms at the back of the Hub before he scrambled out of his chair and wandered out to the work stations.

He knew how long it took for Ianto to collect everything he needed for Myfanwy's dinner so he made an appearance in the autopsy bay, smiling distractedly at Gwen and Owen's teasing banter. Then he peered over Tosh's shoulder at a translation program she was working on until her head snapped around and she glared at him with an unmistakable 'back off' expression on her pretty face. Jack chuckled and held up his hands in surrender as he did exactly that. He waited until she was once again absorbed in her numbers and coding then, after a quick look to ensure Gwen and Owen weren't watching, he quickly bounded up the stairs to the upper level to lay in wait for Ianto.

'Since when do you feed Myfanwy?' he grumbled ten minutes later as he rummaged in the bucket of chicken carcasses.

'I didn't have anything else to do and when Ianto dropped the bucket on his toe...'

Jack's head swiveled around so fast he thought he heard tendons snap. 'He what?'

Gwen smiled that sweet gap-toothed smile at him as she gingerly threw a whole chicken towards the snapping beak of their unusual pet. 'We heard a loud clang and Ianto cursing... you know he doesn't swear... and holding his foot so I said I'd feed Myfanwy while Owen made sure his toe wasn't broken.'

'Right,' Jack ground out, listening with half an ear as Gwen cooed at the prehistoric carnivore. Ianto, the sneaky bastard; he was doing this deliberately. Jack had spent too much time watching Ianto to have the wool pulled over his eyes this time. He knew very well that Ianto didn't make a fuss like Gwen described when he was hurt; he sucked it up and got on with the job quietly until he either felt better or dropped from the pain.

Ianto knew what Jack wanted and he was _playing_ with him.

Jack grinned stupidly as he spent a delightful few minutes imagining all the absolutely filthy ways he was going to have Ianto pay for this later then he was startled out of his fantasies when Gwen exclaimed loudly, 'Look! Mistletoe!'

Mouthing 'Shit' to himself, he turned and flashed her a brilliant smile. 'So it is,' he said brightly before her hand closed around the front of his shirt and she pulled him in for a kiss that involved far too much tongue to be appropriate.

After he extracted himself from what was an unnecessarily long snog, he followed a cheery Gwen down the stairs. When they reached Tosh's work station, he saw Ianto perched on the couch, an ice pack on his foot.

'Did you give her the chocolate?' he asked Gwen worriedly, and she nodded, patting him fondly on the head like a puppy.

'Jack did,' she told him reassuringly, ruffling his hair then giggling when he made an exasperated noise and tried to flatten it back into shape. 'All the ladies are completely satisfied.'

She winked at Jack then bounced over to Tosh's desk, leaning in close to the other woman and murmuring something in her ear that made her grin.

Ianto looked at Jack who raised an eyebrow. 'How's the foot?' he asked archly, putting his hands on his hips.

Ianto smiled sweetly, the mischievous glint in his _(God, so beautiful)_ blue eyes quickly extinguished before it could take proper hold. He pushed himself to his feet and tentatively put weight on his leg.

'I think it'll be fine,' Ianto said ingenuously, wriggling his bare toes.

Jack stared, trying to tell himself that he really wasn't getting hard from staring at a naked foot, but there was something so arousing about seeing Ianto without all of his amour, and it made Jack's body react with an intensity that disconcerted him. Ianto was such an inherently private man, and suddenly Jack felt as though seeing that bare flesh was too intimate. Jack looked away, startled when he caught Gwen and Tosh staring at him with wide grins on their faces.

'What?' he asked defensively, still rattled by his reaction to a bit of bare skin, but they shook their heads and turned back to the computer screen, their muffled chuckles reaching Jack's ears and making him flush.

Jack looked back at Ianto, who had slipped his footwear back on, and gave him a quick smile. 'Glad to hear you're not seriously hurt,' he said then handed him the empty bucket. 'Any chance of you going on a coffee run?'

Ianto smiled – his obedient minion smile that made Jack want to test how far he could push Ianto's limits when it came to subservience – and gave Jack a nod. 'Anything's possible, sir.'

An unscheduled visit from the tentacled ambassador for Jemkaria put paid to Jack's mistletoe plans for the rest of the day. When they arrived back at the Hub, exhausted from trying to convince the Jemkarian representative that Earth was not a suitable place to raise their young, Jack sent everyone home. He showered quickly – Jemkarians tended to spit when they spoke – and had just sunk into his chair to make a concerted effort to do some paperwork when Ianto appeared in the doorway of his office.

'Ah, sorry to disturb, sir,' he said quietly, giving Jack one of his quick, tense smiles – the kind that made Jack want to lick at those lips until they were soft and swollen. 'I just wanted to let you know that I will still here for twenty minutes or so if you want anything. My car won't start and a cab's going to take a while this time of day.'

Jack glanced down at his paperwork then smiled broadly up at Ianto. There wasn't any competition.

'Want a lift?'

'I hear you've been quite busy today, sir.'

Jack looked over at Ianto's impassive face before he turned his attention back to the road. 'Depends on your definition of busy, Ianto,' he said mildly, taking his cue from the other man.

'I think I may need to look up those sexual harassment forms if the gossip around the office water cooler is correct.'

Jack glanced sharply at Ianto again and, this time, caught the little quirk at the corner of his mouth before Ianto managed to get it under control. Jack smothered his own burgeoning grin and focused once more on driving.

'You believe what you hear on the office grapevine, Ianto?'

'I've learned that even the most outrageous accusations have a ring of truth when it comes to you, sir.'

Jack smiled then arranged his face into a somber mask. 'Alright, I confess. Janet, Myfanwy… I just can't help myself.'

There was an abruptly cut off snort of laughter from the passenger seat and Jack muffled his own chuckle as he swung the steering wheel to the left and pulled into an empty parking space in front of Ianto's flat. There was a moment of awkward silence as they both stared out the front window. Jack slipped his hand into the pocket of his great coat, his fingers touching the leaves of the mistletoe he'd slipped in there before they left the Hub. He was prepared; now he just had to get Ianto to...

'Want a drink before you head back to work?' Ianto asked suddenly, turning his head to look at Jack. 'Coffee? Or I have some nice whiskey, I think?'

_Well, that was easy._

'Coffee _and_ whiskey?' Jack asked pleadingly, folding his hands together as if praying and pulling out his best pout.

Ianto smiled. It was a smile of genuine pleasure that was so very rare on Ianto's face and it made Jack suddenly - painfully - aware of how very young the other man still was. And of how deep his desire, his want for Ianto ran.

He blinked as Ianto opened the door of the SUV and inclined his head towards the block of flats. 'I think I can manage that,' he said, that smile lighting up those dark shadows that made his eyes so sorrowful sometimes, and Jack was lost.

He climbed out of the vehicle, locking it before following Ianto into the building. He clutched at the sprig of mistletoe in his pocket as they walked up a flight of stairs to Ianto's floor, determined that he would make this happen, that he would finally get to taste those lips that had been driving him absolutely mad.

'Jack?'

Jack broke out of his reverie and saw that Ianto had come to a halt, keys out, and was staring quizzically at him. 'Is everything alright?' Ianto asked and Jack nodded, placing a casual hand on the small of the other man's back.

'Absolutely,' he insisted.

As Ianto slid the key into the lock, Jack allowed his hand to lightly caress his spine then dared to let it drop slightly until his palm was molded along the gentle curve at the top of Ianto's buttocks.

He held his breath, expecting Ianto to tell him to keep his hands to himself, but the other man simply unlocked the front door and pushed it open. Jack took a step forward, bringing him in line with Ianto then was surprised as he suddenly found himself shoved up against Ianto's open door.

Before he could draw breath and ask what the hell Ianto was playing at, that mouth he'd been fantasizing about from the moment he met Ianto in Bute Park was pressing insistently against his own. Jack, stunned into immobility, felt a gentle suction as Ianto drew his bottom lip into his mouth then Ianto's tongue swept lightly along the seam of Jack's lips before he pulled back.

They stared at each other – Jack still in shock and, fuck, so _hard_ , Ianto's expression an odd mix of uncertainty and triumph – then an annoyed huff made them aware that they had an audience. An older woman was watching them: wide-eyed and open-mouthed, her keys forgotten in the hand hovering near the door knob of the flat next to Ianto's. Jack saw Ianto smile and he felt a flash of instinctual dislike towards the woman. This wasn't a smile Jack liked seeing on Ianto's face. It was Ianto's 'I could fucking kill you with my little finger but it would mess up my suit' smile. It was fake and plastic and showed no tantalizing glimpse of the still waters that ran so very deeply in the young man. Ianto only pulled it out when dealing with the most unpleasant of people, when he was feeling threatened or judged.

'Mistletoe,' Ianto explained to the obviously disapproving grey-haired woman, pointing towards the ceiling.

Both Jack and the elderly woman glanced towards the top of the door frame and Jack let out a loud bark of laughter when he saw the sprig of mistletoe pinned neatly to the wood with a white ribbon.

Ianto had planned this.

Ianto had known all day what Jack was trying to do and he had thwarted him at every turn so this could happen on his terms.

Ianto had beaten him at his own game.

And Jack didn't mind a bit.

The clearing of a throat brought Jack's gaze back to Ianto, who was sporting an attractive pink flush across his cheekbones. Jack glanced towards the spot where Ianto's next door neighbor had been standing and gaping, but only saw a flash of her coat as she disappeared into her own flat then her door slammed shut noisily.

'You wanted an Irish coffee, sir?' Ianto asked rather formally considering where that mouth had just been. One look at his face showed Jack that Ianto's mask of professionalism had slotted back into place and his heart sank.

'Uh, yeah…' he said, a little off-balance by the abrupt change from snogging to standoffish, but Ianto has already moved inside, striding down the short hall as he shrugged out of his coat.

Jack followed more sedately, keeping his coat on. He put his hand in his pocket and fingered the clump of mistletoe again as he considered his next move. Ianto's sudden change of mood was startling, but Jack thought he might understand. Ianto had planned this – had gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure this moment happened the way he wanted it to - but the interruption had thrown him, making him retreat behind his walls again.

But he wanted this. He wanted Jack.

Jack smiled to himself and closed his hand carefully around the sprig of mistletoe.

_Time to knock a great big, Jack-shaped hole in those walls._

Ianto was fiddling with the coffee machine when Jack entered the small kitchen, a bottle of whiskey already sitting on the counter. Jack hesitated for a moment then threw caution to the wind. He approached Ianto, standing way too close, and drew the mistletoe from his pocket.

'Ianto,' he said softly, his mouth close to Ianto's ear, his chest brushing Ianto's upper arm.

He heard Ianto swallow hard then he turned to face him. 'Jack, I…' Ianto began but Jack pressed a finger to his lips and the rest of the sentence dried up on those pretty lips.

'Mistletoe,' Jack murmured as he lifted his arm, holding the now ratty-looking bunch of leaves and berries over their heads.

Ianto looked up briefly then, as his eyes met Jack's, he smiled a glorious smile – one Jack had never seen before, but one that made his blood burn in his veins, that made his heart skip in its regular beat, and that set hundreds of butterflies fluttering wildly in his stomach.

'Well?' asked Ianto, when Jack hesitated, overwhelmed by his visceral reaction. 'You've managed to kiss everyone else at work today? Am I going to get my tur…?'

Jack let the mistletoe fall to the floor as he caught Ianto's face between his hands and crushed their lips together. Their lips parted immediately and the kiss deepened, tongues exploring and tasting without reserve, moans that had been waiting a long time to be released finally allowed their freedom. Jack felt Ianto's hands clutching at his coat then they were hurriedly pushing the heavy wool out of the way, letting the coat slip from Jack's shoulders to puddle on the floor. Jack groaned as the heat from Ianto's hands burned through his shirts to sear his skin then those fingers were plucking at his shirt buttons and Jack got a sudden attack of conscience. He pulled back, panting a little.

'Ianto, are you…?'

'If you ask me if I'm sure after all the effort I put into today, I'm going to fucking punch you, I swear to God.'

Jack flashed him a grin. 'That's good enough for me,' he said, then dove back in for another mind-melting kiss, his hands moving to help Ianto unfasten his buttons.

As they staggered towards the bedroom, Jack trod on the mistletoe, crushing it underfoot.

He didn't stop to pick it up.

It had served its purpose.

fin.


End file.
